USC’s Tim Floyd Allegedly Breaks NCAA Recruiting Rules
It looks like the disappointment surrounding Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo extends beyond his recent second place finish in this years NBA Rookie of the Year race.
According to a story on Yahoo! Sports, Mayo and his handler Rodney Guillory received cash and other incentives from USC coach Tim Floyd in an effort to land the high school basketball star at USC. The story also alleges Guillory received money for influencing Mayo to sign with the Bill Duffy Associates (BDA) sports agency upon declaring for the NBA draft.
The source of the latest USC recruiting scandal is Louis Johnson, who according to Yahoo! is a “former member of Mayo’s inner circle.” If this all sounds familiar it’s because this isn’t exactly the first time USC has been caught up in a recruiting scandal.
USC is already undergoing a three year investigation by the NCAA for alleged misconduct in both their basketball and football programs. Some of the programs biggest stars, such as current New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, have come under scrutiny for possibly accepting money in violation of NCAA recruiting rules.
And, of course, no one involved in the current situation has anything to say. Not the federal authorities. Not BDA. Not USC. Not even O.J. Mayo. When the story broke yesterday you would have expected Mayo to come out and deny any wrong doing by the 6 p.m. Sportscenter, but he didn’t and one has to wonder why.
Regardless of Mayo’s innocence, the situation leads us to one question: should college athletes be compensated for their work? Many college sports purist say no, but the increasing lure of playing professionally elsewhere may soon change their minds. Just last year high school basketball prodigy Brandon Jennings bypassed college and instead decided to play overseas in preparation for the NBA.
He took a lot heat from the media, a lot of which was undeserved. For players whose only desire is to go to the NBA, why shouldn’t they be compensated for their time? Why should coaches and universities earn millions of dollars while the players who provide the product get nothing but a pat on the back?
The answer used to be twofold; education and a chance to get to the NBA. But for top players who plan on playing one year and declaring for the draft, the education is a largely useless form of payment. And as for a chance to get to the big leagues, well, lets just say that NCAA basketball is no longer the only game in town.
If the NCAA is smart (which it isn’t) it will figure out a way to end penalties for compensating players. People argue that if you do only the big schools will be able to compete, but the last time I checked that was already the case.
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